Dunlop Historic tyre supply problems?

[Normal Bloke]

Originally Posted by simes43

The chap who buffs my tyres identified my latest set as being from local stock.

He said that the carcass is different and the quality differs significantly from tyre to tyre. He spends most of his time trying to make then roundish.

Both are marked as made in the UK. Perhaps as a homage to all our tax money we paid to relocate a British factory and jobs to Portugal.

Oh bloody marvellous!

[Rudernst]

I think Dunlops enjoyed a lot of goodwill from organisers, rulemakers and competitors because:

- they were the period supplier,
- because they were able to supply R5s, Ls and Ms,
- from the original moulds made to original specifications (!)
- and because it was so simple to put Dunlops as spec tire into the rules without a second thought

the reasons for this goodwill have vanished
they might still use the original moulds
but not with the skills and quality assurance processes necessary to come up with an acceptable product

as i have said before
give niche specialists such as Avon or Blockleys a chance to show that they can do better

i am tired of going round, begging, borrowing recycling Dunlop tires
and besing fobbed off with excuses that sound increasingly lame

R.E.

[simes43]

Originally Posted by Normal Bloke

Oh bloody marvellous!

The advice I was given was don't throw away your old L's get them shaved.

I can put you in contact with the chap if you would like to discuss things directly?

[skentellytubby]

We all have Dunlops sat in our garages that we are loathe to throw away. That would be extremely useful Simes.

(Did you enjoy the weather on Saturday by the way?!)

[simes43]

Originally Posted by skentellytubby

We all have Dunlops sat in our garages that we are loathe to throw away. That would be extremely useful Simes.

(Did you enjoy the weather on Saturday by the way?!)

The opening lap was OK, up to 3rd, then the heavens opened and my "its going to get dryer" set up made progress a little tricky!

How about yourself?

[skentellytubby]

I was just supporting this weekend having raced a week or so ago. It was truly foul! You made a super start, I noticed.

[simes43]

and then went straight on at Copse trying to make my escape.

No match for Tom. He was on another planet all weekend.

Lost the engine on Sunday, so not the best of weekends for car 43. Hopefully its not too bad as it was brand new on the Saturday!

[Normal Bloke]

Originally Posted by simes43

The advice I was given was don't throw away your old L's get them shaved.

I can put you in contact with the chap if you would like to discuss things directly?

Thanks. However we have our own man here in North Bucks (£15 per tyre)

[Moosehead]

Originally Posted by skentellytubby

We all have Dunlops sat in our garages that we are loathe to throw away. That would be extremely useful Simes.

Indeed, I only realised the other day that my 'old spare' set are now 8 years old!

[Heightswitch]

Originally Posted by Moosehead

Indeed, I only realised the other day that my 'old spare' set are now 8 years old!

I was testing on 12 year old ones...still plenty of tread but I am regularly rubbing boot polish on the sidewalls like that old fella with the worlds fastest Indian
N.

[Terminator]

Originally Posted by simes43

The advice I was given was don't throw away your old L's get them shaved.

I can put you in contact with the chap if you would like to discuss things directly?

Originally Posted by Heightswitch

Cool.. I must be getting Famous..I am getting quoted on the Forums now
N.

More like Infamous more like a porn addict that thinks it will make him a great Lover maybe get a proper Driver to take that V8 Vixen out on track
T

[Heightswitch]

Originally Posted by Terminator

More like Infamous more like a porn addict that thinks it will make him a great Lover maybe get a proper Driver to take that V8 Vixen out on track
T

This weekend Colin. This weekend.
N

[john ruston]

And there's good old me thinking this thread was about the major difficulty of Dunlops not having a supply of decent historic racing tyres rather than a supplement of OK magazine.

[zefarelly]

THe Dutch are allowing certain cars to run on Avons due to a lack of supply.

pretty appalling service really given they've got us over a barrel.

[FISCracer]

Originally Posted by zefarelly

THe Dutch are allowing certain cars to run on Avons due to a lack of supply.

pretty appalling service really given they've got us over a barrel.

Just the big boys eg Mustangs and Falcons or GTS12 CT10 and GTP. Made a huge difference in the wet at Zandvoort

Was supposed to be just first three rounds but now extended to Assen at the end of the month and maybe Zandvoort Historic GP

[Terminator]

Originally Posted by Heightswitch

This weekend Colin. This weekend.
N

Will Tyre choice make any difference from what the practice runs showed not really sounds like Car builder solutions will be kept in business
T

[terence]

Avons over Dunlops is a big difference.Not many GT40s/Cobras or E Types run Dunlops and thats not because of availability problems.
Why not just ditch the histos and just use Avons it wouldn't be to difficult for organizers to add them into thier regs.

[Simon Hadfield]

Except Avon do not produce every size as Dunlop do, the Dunlops v Avon on a GT 40 in the dry is (just) a Dunlop win, in the wet the Avons are so much faster its a no brainer to run them in races where mixed weather is likely such as The Marathon and the Six Hours. The Dunlops are so much more enjoyable to race on, the car is fluid and elegant on Dunlops as opposed to the stick then give of the Avons, finally the Avons are far heavier - we have broken a fair number of suspension bits on Avons that have previously been bullet proof on Dunlops.
So, yes I'm a Dunlop fan but actually as they work through the relocation and supply issues I'm sure they will get it all back together.

[Heightswitch]

Originally Posted by Simon Hadfield

Except Avon do not produce every size as Dunlop do, the Dunlops v Avon on a GT 40 in the dry is (just) a Dunlop win, in the wet the Avons are so much faster its a no brainer to run them in races where mixed weather is likely such as The Marathon and the Six Hours. The Dunlops are so much more enjoyable to race on, the car is fluid and elegant on Dunlops as opposed to the stick then give of the Avons, finally the Avons are far heavier - we have broken a fair number of suspension bits on Avons that have previously been bullet proof on Dunlops.
So, yes I'm a Dunlop fan but actually as they work through the relocation and supply issues I'm sure they will get it all back together.

Hi Simon.
I am also hearing that there seems to be a lot of issues with quality and tyre life on the newly supplied Dunlops. I don't know how true this is and it may be a perception only but concerning nevertheless!

[Normal Bloke]

Originally Posted by Heightswitch

Hi Simon.
I am also hearing that there seems to be a lot of issues with quality and tyre life on the newly supplied Dunlops. I don't know how true this is and it may be a perception only but concerning nevertheless!

I have been assured by Stuart at Dunlop that everything (within the manufacturing process - machinery, raw materials, etc.) is the same except the location. My only experience with them so far was running a pair on the front of the Mini for 45 minutes after possibly not enough scrubbing in time (15 minutes) on the rear. They were destroyed but one could possibly point out that they had had an unfortunate short and brutal encounter with life.......two practice sessions on the rear followed by 20 minute sprint races on the front, would've been a far easier life.

[zefarelly]

The crossply tryre is definitely the way to stay for historics, and a progressive and, to a point forgiving, tyre must be safer for a vast majority of weekend warriors. Asides the grin factor and spectacle.

I just find it difficult to be happy about a poor supplier with no competition. Lets hope they sort it out, and/or someone else steps up to the plate.

Originally Posted by Simon Hadfield

Except Avon do not produce every size as Dunlop do, the Dunlops v Avon on a GT 40 in the dry is (just) a Dunlop win, in the wet the Avons are so much faster its a no brainer to run them in races where mixed weather is likely such as The Marathon and the Six Hours. The Dunlops are so much more enjoyable to race on, the car is fluid and elegant on Dunlops as opposed to the stick then give of the Avons, finally the Avons are far heavier - we have broken a fair number of suspension bits on Avons that have previously been bullet proof on Dunlops.
So, yes I'm a Dunlop fan but actually as they work through the relocation and supply issues I'm sure they will get it all back together.

[Robert Farrell]

Dunlops look better and personally I enjoy their characteristics, also
I am happy to defer to those with greater knowledge than I when it comes to ultimate performance..
On a recent visit to Daytona it was noticeable that an awful lot of the "Vintage race cars" (1961 to 67 I think) were using Hoosier or Goodyear Blue Streak
"Bias ply tires".
They looked "Right" and seemed to perform well.
It would appear that there are other tyres are being made but I am unsure of their availability.

[john ruston]

So that solves post war situation.

What about the Pre War cars as Blockleys are not the answer.

[Rudernst]

Originally Posted by john ruston

So that solves post war situation.

What about the Pre War cars as Blockleys are not the answer.

interesting remark, John

why ?
whats wrong with Blockleys ?

Rudolf

[zefarelly]

Lesser grip tyres, as Simon mentioned suit the charecteristics of the cars too, When I first got involved I remember seeing lots of saloons with cracked panels and screen pillars etc as they were running on yokohomas with far more grip than the cars could handle.

I still dont understand why HSCC/HRS run on them, Its just wrong, and they don't fit under the arches of most cars . . .which is another story!